The invention relates to an optical flat type cable in which several parallel optical fibers situated in a flat plane are bonded together.
Such a cable is known from German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2724536 (corresponding to United Kingdom Patent No. 1,578,680). It is stated that, although the cable has a good flexibility, it has on the other hand a low strength and breaks easily. It is suggested in the above-mentioned German Offenlegungsschrift to provide each fiber with a fixed or loose protective cover and to provide thereon a cover of a soft synthetic resin. The fibers are interconnected via the soft synthetic resin. If desired, an adhesive may be used.
The use of extra covers, such as that of the soft synthetic resin, causes the manufacture of the flat type optical cable to consume more time and effort and hence to become more expensive. Moreover, as a result of the extra covers, extra forces will also occur, for example, as a result of bending of the cable or of temperature variations. As a result of this, an extra signal loss will occur.